By now, you’re probably aware that the Greek hero Heracles (a.k.a. Hercules) had to complete twelve arduous labors as retribution for killing his wife and kids in a divinely-induced rage. The eighth of these involved tackling some man-eating horses that wanted to take a bite out of pretty much everyone.
While waiting to hear someone justify what looks at first sight at least like an attempt to sell the Spartacus story as a form of pornography, it's worth drawing attention to why communists from Marx onwards and no doubt before have held the name Spartacus in such high esteem. This is an article published in World Revolution and the ICC's website. It came out not long after the success of Russel Crowe's Gladiator.
A short essay on the politics (real and imagined) of the Three Servile Wars that shook the Roman Empire, with an emphasis on the rebellion led by Spartacus between 73 and 71 B.C.